Government to revisit muslim quota within OBC quota

NEW DELHI: The 4.5% sub quota for Muslims, within the 27% Other Backward Classes, floated as an idea during the Uttar Pradesh polls by then minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid will be revisited, despite being struck down by the Andhra Pradesh high court.

Minority Affairs minister K Rahman Khan has not given up on the idea and says that there could still be a legal case in support of it. Speaking to ET , Khan said the Andhra HC's order was on technical grounds. "The court's order said that the case for quota within quota could not be supported by data. As far as I am concerned, that is a technical issue which can be sorted," he said.

Khan said he has considered two options on how to proceed on the matter. "There is already a caste census on in the country and we can wait for the results of that before announcing any measures. Or, the ministry could commission a survey to look at religious minorities and backwardness. When I was the chairperson of the state minorities commission in Karnataka, I commissioned a survey covering nearly a million households and made a strong case for quota within quota, which was then implemented and withstood legal scrutiny," he said.

The sub-quota issue became a powder keg during the UP polls after Khurshid made the announcement during an election rally of his wife, Louise, the Congress candidate in Farrukkabad. The EC took exception to the matter and a war of words erupted between him and then CEC SY Quraishi. Khurshid was first defiant but later penitent as allegations of violation of poll conduct rules were cited. Khan's move is significant as it may prove the government was serious about the matter.